Tourists often ask if they can go on a day trip to Stonehenge from London (the answer is yes). But now this English icon has come to the capital. Well, sort ofâ€¦

Sacrilege is effectively a massive bouncy castle, the creation of Turner Prize winning artist Jeremy Deller. Unlike the real Stonehenge, visitors are encouraged to interact with the structure and wow, is it fun! Adults and children alike jump and run with expressions of pure joy (and ultimately exhaustion) on their faces. My young family and I loved the experience so much, we went back to North Greenwich the next day for more. It’s free and no ticket is required.

Part of the London 2012 Festival, Sacrilege is touring the UK and is in London between now and the end of the Olympic Games on 12 August. The remaining London stops are:

For full details see London 2012 Festival. So, will you be making a date to get in touch with your bouncy inner child? Now the school holidays are here, what’s your favourite London destination for family-friendly fun?

]]>http://blog.visitlondon.com/2012/07/stonehenge-bounces-into-town/feed/0Iraq in London: Mesopotamian Collection at the British Museum and Jeremy Deller’s Baghdad, 5 March 2007http://blog.visitlondon.com/2011/02/iraq-in-london-mesopotamian-collection-at-the-british-museum-and-jeremy-dellers-baghdad-5-march-2007/
http://blog.visitlondon.com/2011/02/iraq-in-london-mesopotamian-collection-at-the-british-museum-and-jeremy-dellers-baghdad-5-march-2007/#commentsFri, 11 Feb 2011 10:00:20 +0000http://blog.visitlondon.com/?p=19247To cover Iraq for our World in London project, we found examples of the country’s fascinating ancient history, as well as a shocking example of the current conflict in Iraq.

The British Museum holds the biggest Mesopotamian collection outside of Iraq. In Room 56 you can see objects illustrating the invention of writing, agriculture and developments in technology and artistry, showing why Mesopotamia (now Iraq, north east Syria and part of south east Turkey) is known as “the cradle of civilisation”.

The museum is also working to preserve Iraq’s cultural heritage by providing conservation, archaeological and curatorial assistance to Iraq since 2003.

“We are a museum about all aspects of conflict and this object has immediacy with the ongoing conflict in Iraq. Although this car is 3 years old it is part of an ongoing conflict. It shows the causes, consequences and conduct of war.

“We are showing it in the main atrium which predominantly contains machinery designed to kill or maim. This was a civilian car, part of an individual or family’s life. It shows how conflict transforms life.

“It’s not the obvious face of the Imperial War Museum. In the early days on display, people were coming to the museum for the first time to see the car.

“I think it’s important for us to be collecting these materials for future generations but what we can’t do is evaluate the story yet like we can with the First World War. These are still raw events but it’s important to show different aspects of conflicts and this part of the story. To see things in real life not just on TV. It gives a sense of the sheer force of these things.”